NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly people with diabetes
may be at heightened risk of physical limitations that could
hinder their independence, a new study suggests.

British researchers found that among more than 800 adults
age 65 or older, those with diabetes were more likely to have
problems with walking and performing daily tasks like bathing,
climbing stairs and dressing.

Overall, 46 percent of those with diabetes used some form
of mobility aid, such as a cane or walker. That compared with
31 percent of men and women without diabetes.

Furthermore, 4 percent of diabetics were "highly dependent"
on someone else to care for them, whereas only 1 percent of
those without diabetes were, the researchers report in the
journal Diabetes Care.

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Diabetes-related nerve damage and impaired blood flow to
the legs likely play a role in the higher rate of walking
problems, according to the researchers, led by Dr. Alan J.
Sinclair of the University of Bedfordshire.

Study participants with diabetes also tended to have more
co-existing health conditions, such as high blood pressure and
a history of heart attack or stroke, that could have
contributed to their physical limitations.

According to Sinclair's team, there is "growing
recognition" that older adults with diabetes need help with
more than just blood sugar control. In particular, more
attention needs to go toward their risk of impaired leg
function, the researchers note.

A number of studies, they add, have shown that exercise --
strength training, in particular -- is key in managing older
adults' diabetes. It's likely, the researchers write, that
exercise could improve not only their blood sugar control, but
their mobility as well.